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SEATTLE — - The Erik Bedard the Orioles were supposed to face last year was entirely different from the one the club is scheduled to oppose for the first time tonight at Safeco Field.
The 30-year-old left-hander, who was the Orioles' ace before they traded him to the Seattle Mariners on Feb. 8, 2009, in a deal that landed them five players and accelerated their rebuilding process, is both happier and healthier in his second season in Seattle. And that has ultimately showed on the mound, where Bedard has gone 3-2 with a 2.48 ERA and struck out 54 in 54 1/3 innings.
"That's the biggest thing: I'm healthy this year. Last year, it was kind of hard trying to throw through pain and trying to help the team win," said Bedard, who went 6-4 last season with a 3.67 ERA but was limited to 15 starts because of hip and shoulder injuries. "We had a bad season. Everybody struggled, and it wasn't like everybody expected it would be. It was kind of hard."
While Bedard has pitched well this season and is seventh in the American League in ERA, the trade looks even worse for the Mariners than it did last year. Center fielder Adam Jones, the centerpiece of the Orioles' return, is having a breakout season. An All-Star last year, closer George Sherrill has turned his season around after a rough start. Triple-A right-hander Chris Tillman, 21, is one of the game's best pitching prospects. Pitchers Kam Mickolio and Tony Butler are still considered prospects.
Bedard said he hasn't paid attention to the performance of the players the Orioles got in return and knew only that Jones was having a good season because it came up in the pitching meeting Seattle had before Monday's series opener.
Predictably, he also pushed aside the significance of tonight's start against his former team. Bedard was scheduled to face the Orioles the first weekend of the 2008 season, but he was scratched the night before the scheduled start with hip inflammation. His first order of business when he takes the mound tonight, he said, will be trying not to laugh with guys like Nick Markakis, Aubrey Huff and Brian Roberts at the plate.
"I never even thought about it," Bedard said of the meeting. "What was I there, two years ago, a year and a half ago? It's been a long time. I thought people would forget about it."
The Orioles certainly haven't, though they're not exactly looking forward to facing the tough left-hander, who might not be a Mariner for long. Since he is eligible for free agency after the season, it's expected that Seattle will move the pitcher to a contender.
"I'm not excited to see him," Huff said. "If I remember correctly when I faced him in Tampa, he was not a comfortable at-bat. I think I've gotten a couple of hits off of him, but it's never comfortable. When he pitches, he's one of the best in baseball."
Said Markakis: "I don't think any lefty will tell you that he's looking forward to facing him, but it will be cool to see him."
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